LETTER TO ABC ON FOUR CORNERS PROGRAM BROADCAST OF CHANNEL 4 VEDEO TITLED KILLING FIELDS OF SRI LANKA
Posted on July 7th, 2011

JANAKI CHANDRARATNA PERTH, AUSTRALIA

I watched with great frustration and disappointment the manner in which the Channel 4 video titled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Killing Fields of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, relayed in the ABC Four CornerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Program on 4 July 2011. My deep concern was that a veteran journalist like Kerry OƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢Brien chose to relay the program knowing very well that the video was controversial, biased, unauthenticated and its credibility is under investigation by the British Media Regulatory Authority. Also, several Sri Lankans including the High Commissioner had presented reasons as to why the video should not be relayed. Not only did the video was broadcast, the presenter very authoritatively gave his conclusion that that the video content has enough evidence for an international investigation. One wonders how a professional journalist can arrive at such a conclusion, leave alone broadcast it, without the validation of the facts presented. This indeed is a breach of the most revered principle of factual accuracy in journalism.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As you know there is a background and two sides to every story. Quite sadly, the presenter chose to ignore the background completely and with regard to the Government side, only a pointer was given to a website. The presenter also privileged the LTTE terrorists as freedom fighters. There was no freedom that was taken away from the Tamils for the terrorists to be freedom fighters. They engaged in terrorism to carve out a separate state in two thirds of the country, with a less than 10% of the population, because Sri Lanka was a weaker target when compared to India. They should have tried their claims for a separate state in India as Tamilnadu is their homeland. The LTTE organised genocide of all other ethnic communities living in the North whilst Tamils continued to live freely everywhere else in the island. In fact currently, the majority of the population in the Colombo precinct is Tamil. In such a background how can the LTTE be called freedom fighters? The presenter should have got his facts right before making spurious assertions.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Further, it is apparent, the original recording of the video is now available for scrutiny. If the presenter did his research he would be aware of the fact the original recording clearly identified the Tamil LTTE killing the Sinhalese soldiers who were captured on an earlier occasion. The terrorists were gloating in Tamil of their successes and the video was widely broadcast to the Tamil Diaspora in support for terrorist funding. Also, it was strange how the main actress in Channel 4 video emerged without a scratch to her body or to her clothes from the so called onslaught. She also appeared to have benefited from the magnanimity of the soldiers in the Internally Displaced Persons IDP camps, and escape to London to make the allegations. There are so many issues and contradictions in the Channel 4 video and I would think a professional journalist would at least research the information in the public domain if they did not want to hear from the Government side.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I believe the ABC owes an apology to the Sri Lankan community in Australia for disparaging their country of origin with a tacky and disreputable presentation. I am also of the view that ABC should invite the Sri Lankan Government, who is allegedly charged with serious crimes, to present the other side of the story.

6 Responses to “LETTER TO ABC ON FOUR CORNERS PROGRAM BROADCAST OF CHANNEL 4 VEDEO TITLED KILLING FIELDS OF SRI LANKA”

  1. dhane Says:

    Sri Lanka spending lot of money to keep its reputation. Either SL Govt: or any Media association should invite journalist like Kerry O’Brien and if possible Channel 4 to show them first hand in North and East as at today. Then let see their comments thereafter. I think this will be best without any legal actions. If taken legal actions nobody wins other than both side spending more money for lawyers.

  2. lwan7492 Says:

    Author Lucky
    Date/Time 05 Jul 2011 7:16:51pm
    Subject Killing Fields: is it the whole truth?
    A viewer’s (Nim) comment, states the number of massacre as 150,000/-, the Ch4-clip stated 40,000…. this is exactly how media sensationalism work!

    This is how facts can be twisted to the nth degree
    War is never pleasant nor will it work under ideal conditions. Unfortunately this particular Ch4-clip is under investigations for its authenticity, Though Kerry O’Brien took it as nothing but the whole truth

    Is this a reward for eradicating a dangerous suicide terrorist group-LTTE headed by Prabakaran who waged a 30year war that crippled Sri Lanka and his own people the innocent Tamils?

    Especially in the modern wave of terrorism, where terrorists deliberately use civilians as human shields, we have seen many civilian deaths. Compared to Sri Lanka, more civilians have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by US and British troops. Can someone please answer; will the UN ever conduct a commission of enquiry into civilian fatalities and casualties in Iraq?

    The irony is when suicide attacks occur in the West they are the acts of Terrorists, but on the contrary if it occurs in a developing country then they are carried out by Freedom Fighters!

    I rest my case… I hope this will not impede the process to reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

  3. Vis8 Says:

    ABC was warned of the fabricated video prior to its airing in Au. No worry, these ‘journalists’ at ABC who sound like they just got paid by the tamil tigers, will be held responsible. Action is on its way.

  4. dhane Says:

    Let them “Vomit” the money paid to each.

  5. PRIYAN WIJEYERATNE Says:

    I like to see that Aussie, former junior UN officer (Gordon Weiss) brought to justice for taking money for a load of whipped cream!!

  6. Kit Athul Says:

    Janaki, excellent article, but you missed some thing, to look closly at the video clip that was posted on many Internet sites. Did you see that the bodies use on the flim are white skin and one can clearly see these are dummies used my womans clothing sellers to display womans dresses. Another advice to you is never try to reasen with Tamils living out side Sri Lanka

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